Since my last Lunch Club Nando’s post – a February the 7th effort prior to the WordPress migration, I’ve been to this restaurant more than a few times. It has become the media ‘quick bite’ place of choice – better than many of the local pubs (I’m looking at you Thornhill Arms & Canal 125) and cheaper than the better options (The Fellow & The Driver).
At least 6 times in fact – an (un)healthy average of a fortnightly trip to the popular chicken emporium.
HungryHungryHumpo
A trip to Burrito Cafe.
Pork and chicken, mixed.
No guac (thrifty). Peppers, tomato rice, black beans, hot sauce.
Lettuce, cheese, sour cream.
Very tasty.
HungryHungryHumpo
Old trusty Nando’s.
Double chicken breast wrap with haloumi, cooked mango and lime, XX hot applied at table.
Chips and macho peas, perinaise for the former, more XXH for the latter.
Most satisfying.
HungryHungryHumpo
A walk to Waitrose, Chapel Market.
A sandiwch, carefully selected – chicken triple. Far from my usual choice but the presence of my perenial go-to, chicken and stuffing, was enticement enough.
A perusal of the deli counter saw me come away balacing a reduced pork pie, topped with tomato chutney, on my sandwich box.
The pie was eaten en route back to the office, at first the tomato tang all to remeniscent of ketchup and unwelcome, but with each mouthful my mouth because accustomed and in the end I had no complaints.
The sarnie, taken at the desk was a surprise. The chicken salad option, poised betwixt the stuffing and bacon slices, dominated the box. I normally like this least but it was lovely, fresh salad flavours and moistened by mayo.
It’s bulk meant that both other sandwich halves were somewhat measly of filling. Tasty enough but insubstantial, had I not had the pork pie I would have felt my hunger keenly.
HungryHungryHumpo
The aformentioned leftover pizza made up my lunch today.
On New Years day I was without a two for Tuesday companion. So I ordered two for myself. I believe that not to have the largest size possible when it’s BOGOF is wasted money, so I got two XXL. One, on a pan base, was the ‘special’ spinach and triple bacon. The other a half and half, featuring ‘Total Recall’ – another special, with chicken, more bacon, mixed peppers and other bits, and one half Papa John’s favourite, pepperoni & sausage with their six cheese blend.
Well the spinach and bacon triple was horrible. It was going for a pizza quiche vibe, with no tomato sauce, and just got it all sorts of wrong. I only ordered it through hungover intrigue as I was getting two massive pizzas. Slightly better cold but nothing special.
The total recall was a pleasure – interesting zingy flavours and though I don’t normally like chicken on a pizza it was fine here.
That was Thursday’s lunch.
HungryHungryHumpo
Today was a Christmas party of sorts. My team have an annual tradition of treating our clients to an afternoon in the pub, featuring a few bevvies and a bite to eat.
I had taken on the responsability of putting this together, and secured an area in the back of the Shaston Arms on Ganton St, big enough to seat 30. They serve a great trio of badger ales, as well as some affordable drinkable reds. They informed me via email however that food was not an option, but we could bring in stuff from outside if we liked.
Two doors down is a much-hyped restaurant I’ve tried a few times, though never for lunch (hence the absence of mentions from these pages). Pitt Cue Co, one of the massive success stories of the streat food to restaurant scene, and Zagat newcomer of the year.
I’d emailed Jamie, one of the founders, who said we could do a load of baps if we so wished. We so wished.
A choice of either house sausage or pulled pork was open to us, so I went with a selection, in mixed batches of ten then eight. The house sausage was superb (and came the more recommended of the two by the proprietor). Always keen on taking advisement, I went for one of these first.
Two large patties of sausage, much like a burger, with a zingy asian slaw and some sour onion bits was every bit as good as promised. The bun the perfect vehicle, the first batch of baps was wolfed down to appreciative noises all round.
A cheeky request of something fresh out of the kitchen was generously acquiesed to, with a box of chicken wings coming gratis with the second intake. Chinese BBQ stickiness made these another treat.
Finally, I managed to snaffle a pulled pork bap to make for a tidy hat trick. There were a couple left so thankfully I was depriving no-one else of mouthfuls, and this too was strong. Unsurprisingly the flavour was familiar (this has been on my plate every time I’ve dined in at PCC) – a crunchier slaw made for a messy but epic Bodeans beater.
Several pints of Badger and a couple of Glenfiddich 12’s, coupled with much relaxed conversation with clients capped a thoroughly good way to spend a Tuesday.
HungryHungryHumpo
On the 7th December I was lucky enough to be taken to a new Chinese restaurant. Disavow yourself of thoughts of prawn crackers and singapore noodles. This was something a little bit experimental. The Hakkasan group have opened a banqueting restaurant of extraordinary menu length. A choice of either 8 or 14 courses, as chosen by the chef. I was excited, but as someone with lukewarm feelings toward the groups eponymous Hakkasan restaurant I was also a little wary. That said, I absolutely love Yauatcha, another place in the ‘group’ so perhaps the excitement was winning out.
We went for the 8 course menu (it was only lunch, and I may have had a 2 michelin star 11 course dinner ahead, as well as a drive – thus I opted for the ‘orchard flight’ of accompanying juices, having only one glass of red wine).
Four treasure Iberico ham wrap
Slices of tofu and mushroom wrapped with a sliver of Iberico and a vibrant sauce on the side. Little exciting mouthfuls, like a Chinese amuse bouche. The accompanying drink was also a cleansing saffron and grapefruit tonic water mix.
Dim sum trilogy
As good as any dim sum I ate in Hong Kong, these, featuring a har gau, a mouli and possibly a lobster one, were divine. Excellently light, lovingly wrapped mouthfuls paired with a paintbrush for applying soy sauce. Pretentious maybe, but unarguable taste. The drink with this was a most unusual elderflower and red pepper number that was zingy and vegetably all at once.
Lychee wood roasted Peking duck
Jasmine tea smoked Wagyu beef
If I wasn’t screeching before I definitely was now. Two rhombuses of Wagyu beef, propped atop of each other and in a smokey tea sauce, this was bloody epic. Silence around the table, stupendous cooking. The juice of honeydew melon, celery and ginger was an odd but tasty pairing but it was with this I chose to have my solitary glass of wine.
Steamed razor clam with chilli, mui-choi glutinous rice
Another extremely pretty plate, this time with a long chilli dressed clam, and a stodgy browm ball of mushroom infused glutinous rice. Some kind of weird peasant gourmet, equal parts fancy and functional. Another hit. The drink that came with it however was perhaps an experiment too far – tamarillo, basil, cinnamon, pineapple and saffrom mixed together and slightly too funky for me.
Lychee tapioca, passion chiboust, passion jam
Then the sweets. With the notable exception of Indian restaurants I find the majority of Asian cuisine to disappoint with dessert. Despite a stirling effort this was no different. The rice pudding like number here, surprising us all as it was cold, was fresh and tasty. The twin passion fruit flavours, in a kind of souffle and jam were good, but it’s just not what I want from a dessert. That said if you like this sort of thing you’d love this.
Pineapple fritter, salted lime jelly, vanilla ice cream
So despite all my claims to the contrary, we finish on a fritter with vanilla ice cream. 1970’s small town British Chinese restaurant channeled into this super modern Worship St dining room. It was the best fritter I’ve had, but given my last was
a banana fritter from a Chinese restaurant of no repute on Rubery high street, in my early teens, make of that what you will. A ginger, apple, papaya and eucalyptus juice finished my fruity flight.
Desserts aside (and as explained I have a bias here) this was insane. It’s not ridiculously pricey, it won’t fill you to the gills, but it’s some dishes you love, done to perfection. And some you don’t, that you’ll look out for in the future.
Jolly good show HKK.
HungryHungryHumpo
Very modern French food. Regional – South West terroirs, this sort of experimental cooking isn’t associated with that many French restaurants in our capital. Today was a media lunch, today was a treat.
WHIPPED CHANTILLY BUTTER & SMOKED BUTTER WITH SALT
First up – butter. Smoked & salted cube with a whipped chantilly one. Along with the bread (which took too long to arrive) these were superb. The level of both smoke and salt in what looked not unlike vanilla fudge was just right for my tastebuds.
CRACKLED CAPON WINGS, SCALLOPS BALLOTINE, NUTS AND LOVAGE
Very interesting this. The capon wings were like pork crackling from a roast dinner, with minimum meat attached to the fatty crisp parcels. The scallops seemed to have been braised in goats milk. White all through but will a delicate scallop taste somehow peeking out through the goat notes. A green – the lovage – foam was liberally spread about, adding celery notes, as well as handful of nuts set in soft cheese. Quite odd, but delicious and a little remeniscent of Tuddenham Mill.
SOME SORT OF SMOKED MACKEREL (HAY?) WITH OTHER STUFF
Two fairly huge mackerel fillets, served with celery (also nestled in amongst my starter) and a frankly huge volume of pearl tapioca. So many little red balls. Another foam (I was the only person on a table of seven to get a foam & I had it twice, so you don’t think the place is some kind of early noughties anachronism) – again liberally applied. A big main course, and packed with strong smoke and fish flavours. I wanted light thanks to some frankly absurd Wednesday evening dining with Dad and this sort of hit that note. No red meat at least. I also left a decent bit of tapioca as there was so much of the stuff.
CHILLED MANGO SOUP, FROSTED KIWI MOJITO & CRUNCHY SESAME
Divine. I speculated the sesame element would essentially be a sesame snap, and it was, arranged like chopsticks with the ball of kiwi mojito sorbet balanced precariously on top. Underneath the mango soup was a revelation – top notch desserts all round here. It was basically thick fruit juice but not smoothie, but it tasted like some next level shit I tell you. Paired up with the slightly bitter sesame and the icy mojito this dessert will last long in the mem.
1st – RED HOT CHILLI BERRIES, 2nd – PLUM POSSET
We got a free dessert (one of our tables mains was missed and came 5 minutes late) which was the superbly name spicy berry dish. Again, like my own, this was a fruit fantastico. Subtle chilli spices paired with excellent red berries and some creamy stuff. Very good, worth having. The birthday girl from the recent KERB trip chose Plum Posset, and also gave glowing feedback.
SOME KIND OF GASCONY COFFEE AND AMARETTO THING
With ‘confiture du lait’ at the bottom (toffee) this was a tidy little coffee drink with which I finished my meal. Boozy with amaretto, bitter with espresso and sweet with the soft toffee in the bottom, it was the envy of the table. Along with the cheese and excellent white wine that Craig, our host, practically forced upon me, I was quite replete.
A superb meal all round, definitely one of the highlights of my year, which wasn’t expected. Perhaps not up to the aforementioned Mill, but really daring and consistently successful food. Ridiculously good value for a michelin star – this lunch was £25 for the food – and combined with more than affable company and celebratory news, this has really lit up a grim old November week.
HungryHungryHumpo
Wasn’t going to eat more than an apple and ‘nana.
Had them then a bounty from Pret, left from a meeting.
Lots of pork, chicken (often together), baguette bits and cheese and pickle.
My first run at is was thus, the rest you can imagine.
Dependable as ever – better than any office catering I would say.
HungryHungryHumpo
Two sandwich options bought today from the work kitchen sandwich man – largely due to an inability to choose between them.
First up was a chicken satay wrap. The chicken was shredded – which worked well, and defied my expectations of the dry, skewer type chicken satay you get as a canape. Despite this textural success though, as with my last chicken sandwich it was a tad bland – the satay I like to have a much more peanut zing, this was too creamy.
The other side, I’m happy to report, was a huge success. Spiced haloumi with tzatsiki. A great combination, made wholesmoe with some crunchy wholemeal roll action.
HungryHungryHumpo
The Lunch Club 